A report critical of Edward Snowden, written by his C.I.A. superior in 2009, could have stopped the now notorious whistleblower in his tracks had it been picked up by his successive employers. According to American officials privy to Snowden’s case, the report aired a suspicion that he was trying to access documents beyond his classification.

Deemed a mild complaint on personal behavior, the report was not automatically forwarded to Snowden’s subsequent employers at the National Security Agency, from where he later leaked vast troves of top-secret material. Law enforcement officials have said that this practice has since been amended.

Like happens all too frequently, the big crime was preceded and indeed forewarned by a smaller one.

One would hope that, in the CIA's future, attempting to access documents beyond one's classification would lead to immediate termination with permanent placement of one's name (etc.) onto a list of folks who can never again work for the agency or even hold security clearances. It's about trust.

Is it known whether the father's record and connections in the intelligence field played any behind-the-scenes role in getting the early misstep expunged from his son's record and ultimately having the son placed in the position from which he did his damage?

The kid is no hero. He is at best a mischief maker, and potentially much more. The apparent eagerness with which he has taken to living in Russia suggests that he himself believes he is "much more." If there is a path to the dad, the dad should also be very careful.